Takeaways from the 2022 Senior Bowl

Stoney Keeley lists his main takeaways from the 2022 Senior Bowl, held down in Mobile, Alabama.

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The 2022 Senior Bowl took place from Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of the University of South Alabama down in Mobile on Saturday afternoon. Our Utility Man (official title), Steven McCash, and I made the trip down to cover all the action that the weather would allow. These are my main takeaways from the game itself – you can find practice reports linked below. LFG.

Takeaways from the 2022 Senior Bowl

If we’re talking about guys that look the part, Colorado State TE Trey McBride certainly looks the part. Any team that drafts him will have a guy they can use in a number of ways – he’s a solid play-maker, he can block on either side of the formation, and he was even out there on special teams. He solidified his status as TE1 in my book.
Calvin Austin III looks like an outright weapon – he was returning punts/kicks, and lined up all over the place. He is so shifty and fast that he can create separation from anywhere on the field. He looks like a pure play-maker.
We got the full Malik Willis experience in the Senior Bowl – the good and the bad. He was mostly sharp, but there was one throw that Austin III had to go to the ground to get. Had that ball hit Austin III in stride, he’s turning it up field and scoring. There was another under-throw of Austin III that drew a defensive pass interference. But, by and large, Willis looked like the most dynamic quarterback of the bunch, dazzling fans with his elusiveness in space. Someone is going to fall in love with his traits and make him a top 10 pick.
Kenny Pickett completed 100% of his passes and looked calm and poised. He did a good job of detecting pressure and dumping the ball off on one play. He hit Christian Watson on a ball that was a little low, but was caught for a chunk gain. I’m still concerned a bit by how low he throws the ball, but he looked comfortable in the game setting.
Watson, by the way, showed some savvy on the aforementioned play by getting up and continuing to run the ball, remembering that they weren’t playing under college rules any longer.
I thought DeAngelo Malone had an outstanding week, and it most definitely translated to the game. He improved his stock as a pure, powerful pass rusher and a player capable of setting the edge against the run, too.
The game was sloppy at first – a lot of penalties, particularly false starts, and both offenses got off to a slow start. I think it’s safe of us big brains to attribute this to these kids playing together in a new offense for literally just less than a week leading up to the game.
Desmond Ridder looked like the best quarterback in the game – he was sharp, precise, seemed to understand and take command of the offense, and made good decisions with the ball. He hit Romeo Doubs on what might’ve been the best throw of the day, lobbing it over a defender and dropping it in the bucket for Doubs right in stride ahead of another defender. It was exact and beautiful.
I continue to have no idea what to make of Sam Howell. All I did all week was talk about how something just didn’t seem quite right with his body language, and he didn’t do a whole lot to really wow folks during practice. But, he was a gamer…at least on Saturday. Howell is quick, throws the ball with great touch, his mobility and maneuverability allow him to extend plays, and he’s calm and cool under duress. While his passing stats weren’t exactly eye-popping, he converted a 2nd & 7 with his legs when the pass rush was breathing down his neck, he showed tremendous patience in taking what the defense was giving him, and showed maturity in throwing the ball away in the red zone. He had a touchdown run on a drive that was all him. Maybe I’m just a fucking idiot.
Bo Melton is on down the list on most analysts’ rankings, but from what I saw, I was impressed. They had him out there at receiver and returning kicks/punts. He corralled a wild-bouncing punt and was able to pick up some yardage on it, showing a little creativity under intense pressure with the ball in his hands.
RB Rachaad White was awesome – he looked powerful and decisive running the football.
I was excited to see Carson Strong in game action – that howitzer of an arm is going to make someone fall in love, but he had a bad under-thrown ball that ended up intercepted. The consistency is the big thing with him.
OL Bernhard Raimann didn’t have the best practice week dealing with pure speed, but I’ll be damned if he didn’t show up in the game and make some plays.
They were using Velus Jones Jr. in a number of ways – lining him across the formation, giving him carries, letting him return punts/kicks.
I really like Darian Kinnard on the right side of the offensive line – he was a little inconsistent throughout the week, but he has all the size, power, and maneuverability it takes to succeed in the NFL.
Guys who good practice translated to the game for: Calvin Austin III, Trey McBride, DeAngelo Malone, Boye Mafe, Dameon Pierce, Perrion Winfrey, Cole Strange, Dylan Parham, Ed Ingram
Stock up: Calvin Austin III, Trey McBride, Jake Ferguson, Malik Willis, DeAngelo Malone, Chad Muma, Leon O’Neal Jr., Abram Smith, Cole Turner, Rachaad White, Travis Jones, Cole Strange, Tyler Badie, Roger McCreary, Jalen Tolbert, Kingsley Enagbare
Stock down: Bernhard Raimann, Bailey Zappe, Max Mitchell, Dontario Drummond
I gotta watch more: Romeo Doubs, Bo Melton, Ja’Tyre Carter, Abraham Lucas, Chris Paul, Greg Dulcich, Spencer Burford

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